Sandy, who suffers from the incurable illness fibromyalgia, raised the money after a dog from her kennels died from the disease.

She said: 'The only research being done on this disease is in America so I spent 12 months trying to get the kidney from the pup who died to America for testing.

'I then found out there was a fund in the USA being run by the English Cocker Club of America (ECCA) to try to raise funds for the research with a view to developing a test for this awful disease.

'So I decided to try to raise some money over here.' That was in October 2004. Since then, research professors announced in May that they have found the mutated gene and the test is now being developed.

Sandy added: 'I set up a bank account and contacted a lab in Belgium which would process kidney tissue for the USA.

'They asked me to send bloods from all my dogs to take part in the pilot study of the test. All are clear bar one dog who is a carrier so now I can move on in a positive way knowing that I don't have to worry about my pups dying from this awful disease.'

Sandy won her first award at the Cheshire Show in 1978.

'I am committed to the health of the breed and as a custodian of my chosen breeds I feel it is my duty to pass them on to the next generation, having done my bit to ensure their future health.'